How Dentists Do Well in Public

Public appearances like educational lectures boost your visibility in your market. But most dentists aren’t trained in public speaking, which makes every appearance a risk. Fortunately, there are some low-risk strategies for getting better at public speaking and avoiding the possibility of blowing up your marketing efforts. Stay tuned.

– Welcome to the Patient Attraction Podcast.

– I’m Colin Receveur, founder and CEO of SmartBox Web Marketing.

– Public speaking engagements are basically free marketing since all they cost is some of your time.

– And they usually take place over lunch or after hours.

– A good educational session can also get you a write-up in your local newspaper or your face and name on local TV.

– What kind of write-up it is depends on how well you do.

– If you’re not comfortable with public speaking, here are some tips to help make the whole experience a success.

– Number 1: Buy yourself some time.

– Accepting last-minute speaking invitations just invites disaster.

– You need time to decide what you’re going to say, in what order, and to adjust your presentation to the time available.

– You should avoid accepting engagements that are less than 10 days away.

– Number 2: Write it down first, then practice out loud.

– Believe me, things that sound good in your head aren’t always easy to say.

– Or they’re not the right things to say.

– Number 3: Edit, edit, edit.

– You’re not writing the Great American Novel.

– You’re trying to effectively convey important information in a way that your audience understands.

– And you’re trying to do yourself some good in the process.

– Be ruthless – if a word isn’t needed, cut it out.

– If sentences are too long, break them up.

– Number 4: Do live practice with a group.

– Stage fright affects almost everyone.

– Use your family, your friends, or even your staff as test audiences.

– Accept their feedback and learn from it.

– Number 5: Trust your preparation.

– By the time you’re ready to go public, you’ll have made many mistakes.

– And survived them.

– Relax into that knowledge and deliver a great presentation.

– Follow these 5 tips and make your public speaking work for your marketing, not against it.

– Until our next podcast, keep moving forward.

“Running the business by yourself can feel impossible. With our help, you can increase the quality of your new patients which will allow you to get back to enjoying life.”